Confirmed by Nail Artists: 8 OPI Layering Combos That Instantly Tell Me You Have Immaculate Taste
Compliment-worthy pairs everyone in your life will want to copy.
Nail-color compliments are right up there with fragrance-related praise; nothing brightens my day more than when a friend, coworker, or complete stranger begs to know what polish I'm wearing. What's even more of a win is when said polish happens to be a duo, so I can say something along the lines of: "Oh, this? It's a custom combo." Of course, I'll then reveal the magic pair (I'm never one to gatekeep), which more often than not is a combination of chic OPI shades. The brand is responsible for some of the timeless nail colors of all time (Funny Bunny, Put It in Neutral, Big Apple Red… Need I go on?), but layering them together opens new doors when it comes to immaculate, expensive-looking manis.
Just take it from celebrity nail artist Zola Ganzorigt, who frequently combines OPI polishes for her A-lister clients (Hailey Bieber, Kylie Jenner, and Sabrina Carpenter, to name a few). "With OPI’s range of colors, there are so many that you can blend until you get your perfect shade," she tells Who What Wear. "It’s customizable, playful, and helps you achieve finishes that don’t exist in a single bottle. Every time you layer, you discover a new color story that feels personal and unique!"
To layer at home like a professional nail artist, she recommends grabbing some sort of palette (a handheld mirror or paper plate, for example) to mix the two shades, as opposed to layering one polish on top of the other directly on your nail plate. Simply add a drop of each pigment you want to mix, then blend before applying. "I recommend using a thin nail brush to swirl the colors together until you get an even cohesive tone," Ganzorigt adds. "This helps you avoid streakiness and ensures the customized shade applies evenly."
The limit truly does not exist when it comes to elegant pairs, but manicurists, including Ganzorigt, do have a few favorites to share. Below, find eight compliment-worthy OPI combos to try for your next set.
1. Bubble Bath and Funny Bunny
Bubble Bath is a forever classic (I wore it on my wedding day!), but when you mix it with Funny Bunny, the sweet, candy-like pink turns perfectly soapy and sheer. It's one of the most popular OPI pairs around, known colloquially as "Bubble Bunny" on the internet by beauty insiders. Social media editor Emma Hughes is especially partial to the pale-pink mani, calling the "always flattering" duo her "one tried-and-true combo for life." Talk about a glowing endorsement!
Shop the Combo
2. Bubble Bath and Put It in Neutral
"One of the most popular OPI layering pairs for me is Bubble Bath with Put It In Neutral," Ganzorigt shares. "It softens the pink just enough to give it that milky, super-wearable nude everyone loves." See, Put It in Neutral is more of a taupe-y pink, while the Funny Bunny polish above reads more creamy white; if you're gunning for a neutral finish that still leans pink, you should absolutely give this pair a try.
Shop the Combo
3. Passion and Bare My Soul
Passion is a popular base for French manis, given its sheer finish and nude, slightly pink payoff. When paired with the warm beige tones of Bare My Soul, it creates a neutral, sandy manicure that screams summer, according to Ganzorigt. "They create the most effortless, sun-kissed washes of color that feel fresh and beachy," she adds. Perhaps that's why she relied on the pair for Sabrina Carpenter's "Manchild" music video, which debuted this past June.
Shop the Combo
4. Bare My Soul and Put It in Neutral
Celebrity nail artist Iram Shelton calls this combo her "no-makeup makeup look for nails." If you're looking for a way to dress up your "naked" manicure, you can't go wrong with layering these neutral shades. Make sure to add a high-shine top coat for Shelton's "ultra glossy, soap nail effect."
Shop the Combo
5. Black Onyx and Brown to Earth
"For winter, I love using Black Onyx for the base of any dark shades," Ganzorigt shares. "It deepens the shade more and gives it a really rich dark finish." You might think a jet-black polish like this would automatically dominate the result, but trust the expert—it results in an "almost black" pigment that's so chic for the season. Feel free to mix the inky hue with any moody polish (burgundy, navy, gray, etc.), but a chocolate brown will appear especially rich. "Black Onyx with Brown to Earth would create a really nice dark brown for winter," Ganzorigt adds. Think deep espresso over milk chocolate.
Shop the Combo
6. Bubble Bath and Strawberry Margarita
If you prefer a spunkier shade of pink, feel free to throw Strawberry Margarita in the mix. The vibrant fuchsia certainly packs a punch, but layering it with Bubble Bath tones down the payoff just a tad if that's more your speed. Either mix the two polishes together to create one custom shade, or you can fashion a gradient "candy floss" look like Shelton above—a beauty sponge will be your best tool to nail the ombré effect.
Shop the Combo
7. Funny Bunny and Alpine Snow
Classic French manis feature a sheer pink base with snow-white tips, but the monochrome white-on-white version Ganzorigt created for Kylie Jenner is just so chic—especially with those micro-French tips. The Funny Bunny base keeps the overall look sheer and milky, while Alpine Snow on the free edge appears perfectly crisp.
Shop the Combo
8. Mod About You and It's a Girl
Speaking of updated French manis, how cute is this pink-on-pink iteration on Khloé Kardashian? In a tutorial posted to Instagram, Ganzorigt reveals she layered Mod About You and It's a Girl for the spring-coded look—just one coat of each to keep the result super sheer. Yet unlike a typical French, she starts by painting the tips with Mod About You before following up with a full layer of It's A Girl, a slightly lighter pink. This reverse technique creates a soft veil of color over the French design, which makes it look even more subtle and elegant (as if the French mani needed any more help in that department).
Shop the Combo
